In “A Record of Industry," artist Joe McGurl offers a reminder about why art is meaningful. He states: “As artists, we have to acknowledge where we are as a society.” Throughout history, from the Stone Age to the modern era, people have been compelled to create...
It seems endemic to the human condition to wonder about the origin of a good idea. We want to know how creativity came about, because if we follow those same steps, we just might guarantee the next successful result. It’s surely one of my favorite questions...
It’s a stereotypic scene: Surrounded by the invasive smell of turpentine, the cloistered artist diligently works at his easel. An orderly array of oil paints spread across his palette; each contemplative brushstroke occurring in quiet solitude. The architect, too, seems a solitary soul, refining a rendering...
Everyone has a perspective of the West. From glorified visions to vague notions, it’s a place with thematic potential “as vast as any horizon.” Perhaps more than other regions, the West is full of stories, those based in history, those based in myth and those...
“We met an old man and his wife who collected some of the greatest sculptures in the world,” says collector Kathryn Walt Hall. “He told us that art made him see.” When I read Hall’s statement in “Collector’s Eye," I related to it instantly. Visiting an...
What is Western Art? When the West was first being discovered, this question could be answered simply. Western art documented a new frontier. Today, that same definition applies but perhaps in a different context. There’s no longer land to uncover, but untapped horizons are explored every...
“Art is the projection of the imagination and should be free of trying to find a reason or meaning for a subject. This, together with a murmuration of thoughts and emotions, combines to produce the finished piece,” says artist Simon Gudgeon in a sentiment so...
“Art is an experience, not an object.” A friend recently reminded me of this Robert Motherwell quote while discussing the moment he first discovered fine art. It was perhaps the perfect setting, at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris during his honeymoon. He was wandering through three...
When I spoke with collector J.P. Bryan for this issue, I was struck by his passion for the history of the Western United States. It was infectious, and through Bryan’s eyes, the romanticism so often associated with this region felt justified. Bryan reminded me that the...
I’ve never been one for goodbyes. But I’m older now. A mother. A daughter. A partner and friend. And I know they come whether we want them to or not. So I look at them differently, see them in a new way. I have to. I...